run towards the stars (can't make them shine)
by uhohspaghettiooos
Summary: Hermione disappeared after the Final Battle. No goodbyes, no explanations, just the promise that she was still alive. But now, ten years later, she is back, and she has a deadly mystery on her hands. And she has no-one to turn to except for the newly appointed Head of the DMLE, Harry Potter. But with Harry comes the rising star of his Auror Team - Draco Malfoy.
1. Prologue

_PROLOGUE - April 1997_

They lie there in the grass, the crisp spring air lapping against their skin. Their bodies are intertwined. She hums gently, her face buried in his chest. All is quiet. The sky above is the only witness to this moment.

"I love you."

He grasps her tighter. "I know. I love you, too."

"When this is all over, whatever happens, promise you'll still be there for me."

A gentle smile appears. "I promise."

She sighs and pushes herself up from his chest. Her fingers splay out across the soft wool of his vest. "We can just disappear when this is over. Say goodbye and go."

"However this ends, there will be no one left for me to say goodbye to."

She looks at him. He stares back. "Okay, then," she acknowledges. "That makes it easier."

"They'll miss you, you know."

"I know."

"You'll win in the end."

She remains silent. Her hands dig into his vest. The wool feels less soft now.

He continues, pressing, insistent. "And when you win they'll want you there beside them. And you won't be."

"I'll have said goodbye."

"It will have to be a very real one. You won't be able to go back. You'll be harbouring a wanted man. A fugitive. They won't understand. I won't be worth it."

"You will. I love you. That's why it will be worth it."

"Will you still disappear with me if He wins?"

There is a pause. "I don't know. I don't think I would be able to accept Him winning."

"I would fight with you then."

"Why not now?"

They both know why not.

They are falling into familiar patterns. These words have been said before. There is nowhere for either of them to go. They stumble forward the only way they can.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I know."

"Marry me?"

"One day."

"When this ends?"

"The moment it ends."


	2. Chapter 1

_PRESENT DAY – September 2008_

The Ministry floor had been cleaned recently. The black marble shone. It was a far cry from the last time she was here. However, despite appearances, she was not so sure that this Ministry was any less soiled than the last. She hoped it was, hoped that lessons had been learned, but also knew that history had a way of repeating itself. Some rot went too deep.

She had signed in under a pseudonym: _Hermione Granger_. The deceit did not matter; it got the reaction she wanted. She was quickly ushered down a corridor, a robed man by her side.

Her heels ticked across the floor. She liked the sound. It gave her a sense of grounding, authority, allowed herself to believe that she was truly here. She had piled her hair into a bun and wore a string of pearls. Her wedding ring, along with all her other scars, was disillusioned. She tried to ignore the stab of guilt.

The corridor ahead of her was dim. She had passed through a courtyard lit up in the hazy light of the last of the summer earlier, and had drunk in the warmth on her skin. There was no warmth now. Just a flickering light above, some frosted over window panes to the side. The seasons did not matter here, only the churning bureaucracy.

Each door she passed had a number on it. Various different offices, she supposed. She missed a beat when she reached room number 101, eyes lingering over the brass lettering, but swiftly carried on, back ramrod straight. The man escorting her noticed nothing.

They stopped outside a wooden door, the only one without the square of frosted glass.

"This is the Head of the DMLE's office, Miss."

She took a deep breath and adjusted her hold on her bag. Her knuckles were white. She knocked. The man took a step back. She stood firm.

The door swung open, revealing a weary-looking man, glasses in hand. His green eyes betrayed his bewilderment.

"I'm sorry," he began, his voice strained, "but I was pretty sure I didn't have any meetings-" The glasses were back on. His eyes narrowed a fraction. There was a beat of silence.

"Hermione?"

"Hello, Harry," she said. "Long time, no see."


	3. Chapter 2

The muggle coffee shop was fairly crowded when they entered. Harry said he liked it that way, liked the hum of the noise and the secrecy afforded by their anonymity. She was more on edge. Too many eyes, too many ears. She did not voice these concerns, only placed her order. A large black coffee, no milk, no sugar. Harry raised his eyebrows. She shrugged, and went to find an empty table.

Harry returned, cups in hand. Careful not to spill, he placed them on the table and gingerly sat down. They had come straight from the Ministry for a more relaxed place to talk, but the line on his forehead was no less entrenched here. Running a hand through his hair, he crossed and uncrossed his legs. He let out a sigh, and levelled her with a beseeching stare.

"Look," he began, "I have no idea what to say or how to feel. You just disappeared. We didn't know what had happened to you. Everyone was worried. And now you turn up, a decade later, as if nothing has ever happened!"

"I wrote you letters."

"That said nothing! A letter here and there, a card on birthdays, but never a return address! You missed weddings, births, funerals, and for what? I don't want to be angry with you, but I honestly don't know what else to feel."

She glanced away briefly. She had expected this. "I'm sorry. But I can't say that I regret it. And that part of my life is over now, anyway." If Harry noticed the quiver in her voice, he didn't say anything. Swallowing, she continued on. "I'm back. I've got a place in London and will visit you all. I promise. I may not be here forever, but I am here now, and that's all I can give you."

A snort escaped the Auror as Harry threw his hands up in exasperation. "But where were you? Hermione, you can't just leave and then suddenly re-appear and expect no-one to ask questions!"

A few heads turned at his outburst, and she fought the urge to curl in on herself. "Keep your voice down," she hissed. "What I did is my business and I will talk about it when I damn well choose. If people have questions, that is no concern of mine."

Harry gentle rolled his eyes and reached a hand out across the table, in a peacemaking gesture. "I'm not a teenager anymore, there's no need to scold. I just worried about you, Hermione, that's all," he murmured. "We all did. I'm not trying to start an argument, not after all these years. It's just that some answers would be nice."

Her face softened slightly and she leaned out to grasp his hand in her own. Harry held onto her tightly, searching her face. She wondered what he thought of her. The last time they had laid eyes on one another she had been a half-starved, battle-weary child, but that version of herself was long buried. Harry himself looked much older, too. He was right – any traces of his teenage self were gone. He was more dignified, solid now, with a broad chest, and the shadow of a beard: an adult. An adult who she no longer really knew. But an adult, a professional, whose help she desperately required.

"I'm back for a reason, Harry," she explained. "I've been researching a very troubling phenomenon and I need your help." Reaching down, she pulled out several files from her bag. "Take a look at these."

"Can't you just tell me?"

She shook her head. "Not here. Read them and then we'll talk." Harry made a move to speak but she quickly cut him off. "These are highly confidential, Harry. I mean it. Dangerous if spread about. And deadly serious, too. Be careful who you share them with."

Harry scoffed. "Is that all I get? An ominous warning and a stack of paper?"

"I'm afraid so. For now, at least. Here's my number for when you're done." With that, she scooped up her bag and gave him a one-armed hug, pressing the slip of paper into his hand, before weaving her way out of the shop. Once outside, she took a great heaving breath. Her eyes closed for a moment, and she briefly touched the disillusioned ring on her finger.

This was the right thing to do, she was sure of it.


	4. Chapter 3

_PROLOGUE - April 1997_

They lie there in the grass, the crisp spring air lapping against their skin. Their bodies are intertwined. She hums gently, her face buried in his chest. All is quiet. The sky above is the only witness to this moment.

"I love you."

He grasps her tighter. "I know. I love you, too."

"When this is all over, whatever happens, promise you'll still be there for me."

A gentle smile appears. "I promise."

She sighs and pushes herself up from his chest. Her fingers splay out across the soft wool of his vest. "We can just disappear when this is over. Say goodbye and go."

"However this ends, there will be no one left for me to say goodbye to."

She looks at him. He stares back. "Okay, then," she acknowledges. "That makes it easier."

"They'll miss you, you know."

"I know."

"You'll win in the end."

She remains silent. Her hands dig into his vest. The wool feels less soft now.

He continues, pressing, insistent. "And when you win they'll want you there beside them. And you won't be."

"I'll have said goodbye."

"It will have to be a very real one. You won't be able to go back. You'll be harbouring a wanted man. A fugitive. They won't understand. I won't be worth it."

"You will. I love you. That's why it will be worth it."

"Will you still disappear with me if He wins?"

There is a pause. "I don't know. I don't think I would be able to accept Him winning."

"I would fight with you then."

"Why not now?"

They both know why not.

They are falling into familiar patterns. These words have been said before. There is nowhere for either of them to go. They stumble forward the only way they can.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I know."

"Marry me?"

"One day."

"When this ends?"

"The moment it ends."


End file.
